Love's Imprint
by FictionAuthorInTraining
Summary: RM oneshot.5 years in the future.Ryan centric.Rated G. Ryan went to Berkley,and just graduated. He is moving on,but has some unfinished business. The story is meant to be hauntingly beautiful. AN note the last name of Lindsey is not Gardner


R/M One-shot

Love's Imprint

Feb. 13

Stepping up to the entrance of the elegant jewelry store, Ryan sucked in his breath and pulled open the door. The little bell above the door went off and a very tall, proper looking man in a suit looked up from the counter of the display he was busily wipping down.

"Can I help you, Sir?" The man was undoubtedly of Irish descent but had been Americanized, owning to his accent as he addressed the customer.

Ryan nodded, stepping forward more. "I'm looking for something really nice."

The man nodded, studying the younger man. "For a lady friend, I assume?" A quiet nod was the only response he got. "Very well. Why don't you tell me about the special lass, then."

"She's sweet, has this awkward grace, and uh.. A fun sense of humor." Ryan smiled slightly as he continued talking, slipping into a comfort ability he hadn't experienced in years. "Her smile could melt your heart, but her tears could soften the hardest man.." He drifted off into a memory as he continued to talk. "She could stop traffic if she walked across the street."

The jeweler listened intently as the young man praised his beloved. It was clear that the man was absolutely taken with the object of his words.

"I got her this necklace once…" Finally, Ryan shook his head. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright. She seems lovely. Now, were you thinking ring, bracelet, or necklace?" The jeweler already had several selections in mind.

"A necklace." Ryan stated with assurance. "I want a really nice necklace."

"We have a few here I think would look lovely around your lass's neck." The jeweler smiled, bending down and extracting two necklaces from their little felt perches in the display case. He set the first one on the counter very gently. "This one is 14 k, with a heart shapped pendant of diamonds. Very popular with the husbands this year."

Ryan studied the necklace without picking it up, imagined it resting against her neck, and shook his head. "Something more…"

The jeweler interrupted, finishing the young man's thought. "Unique?"

Ryan nodded.

"Gold or Silver?" The jeweler made his way all the way to the other side of the store, fiddling with a set of keys.

"Either." Ryan quickly walked over to the other side, standing in front of the display that the man had stopped by.

The jeweler nodded, kneeling down. "Is money a restraint?"

"Not this time." Ryan responded with certainty.

"Then I think we have exactly what you're asking for." The jeweler stood back up, placing a rectangular box on the glass counter. It was covered in dark green velvet and had a locking mechanism on the side where there was usually just a snap. "Go ahead. I already unlocked it."

Ryan ran his fingers across the velvet of the lid before picking it up in his hand. He pushed the lid back, hearing the customary creaking as the top half of the box settled into place. His breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of the contents of the box. "I'll take it."

"Charge, I assume?" The jeweler smiled moving back to the cash register.

Ryan nodded back, rummaging through his wallet for his credit card. He handed it over and waited to get it back.

The jeweler ran the card, printed the receipt, and took the key for the box off of his key chain. "You get this too." He handed the tiny gold plated key to the young man. "I meant to ask earlier, How long have you been together Mr…" He remembered the name from the credit info. "Atwood?"

Having already begun to leave, Ryan stopped mid-step. "It seems like forever.. But I wish it was longer.."

The jeweler smiled in understanding. "You have a nice night, Mr. Atwood."

"And you." Ryan nodded, walking out of the store.

A few hours later, Ryan sat alone in the diner he used to frequent back in high school. How long had that been, now? He'd been out of Berkley for about six months. The days had just seemed to run together after everything had happened.

"Will that be all, Ryan?" A smiling waitress asked.

"Yeah, Sarah. That's it. Just the burger and coke." He smiled up at her. "Why you working tonight, anyway?"

Sarah's blue eyes twinkled with understanding as she smiled back to her old friend. "Missy called in sick." Her emphasis on the word sick proved just what she thought about the excuse. "Roger won't get off work till nine anyhow, so it's ok."

Ryan nodded. "You guy's have a good night planned for tomorrow?"

"Dannys gonna be at the sitter's place." Sarah responded with a soft affirmative to the question.

Ryan laughed.

"And what about you? Getting married tomorrow and all. Doesn't Chino have some huge Valentine's day plans for the Honeymoon? Or did she let you off this year because of the getting hitched on the same day thing?" Sarah's lips pursed like they always did when she teased Ryan. "Hmm?"

"She's getting both." Ryan answered quietly.

"What a great hubby you'll make." Sarah chuckled, clutching his cheek and squeezing. "I'll tell Roger you said hey, and we will see you and the others tomorrow."

"Sarah?" Ryan looked up, his intense blue eyes less joyful.

Sarah smiled, stepping closer. "Yeah?"

Ryan was silent a minute, then spoke. "You and Roger have a great Valentine's day."

"We always do." Sarah smiled and turned away, holding her tip.

Ryan slid out of the booth and exited the diner. He walked back to his car, getting behind the wheel and taking a deep breath. He sat there in silence for a few minutes, then pulled the green box from his jacket and opened it. There was the necklace, beautifully laid on the dark velvet backing. It was pure gold on the chain, very dainty, with little diamonds every half inch embedded in the chain somehow, leading down to a medium sized depiction of an open flower made entirely of a ruby. He knew she would love it. And she deserved it. This necklace was made for her…..just her.

The Next Day- Feb. 14

"You spent that much on a necklace?" Seth stared at his brother and best friend, Ryan Atwood, in shock.

Ryan stood in front of the mirror fixing his tie. "She deserves it."

"True, but…." The warning look Seth got in response made him turn silent again. "Taylor wanted me to tell you that she really wants to see you before the ceremony."

"She outside?" Ryan turned back to Seth.

"Or with the bride in her dressing room." Seth shrugged, he wasn't exactly sure where she was.

"I'll just go out in the hall, It's Taylor- she'll find me." Ryan laughed, clapped Seth on the shoulder and exited the tiny room.

True to his statement, Ryan was no sooner in the hall than Taylor came around the corner, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into a nearby empty room. He waited quietly for her speak first.

Taylor stood there, her long hair now shortened, her bangs gone. She bit her lip and studied Ryan in silence. He looked amazingly sexy in his wedding wardrobe. "You look really good."

Ryan reached out and took her hand. "I didn't think you were going to come?"

Taylor shrugged off a tear. "I wasn't….but…she can be very persuasive."

Ryan laughed. "Yeah.. She can." He released Taylor's hand. "About our.."

"Shh…" Taylor put her fingertips over his mouth. "Forget it. We weren't meant to be. You guys are."

"Thanks, Taylor." Ryan stepped up, embracing his ex in a friendly manner. "It means a lot to me that you're here."

"You're welcome, Ryan." Taylor hugged him back, her arms going around his torso. "Have a happy life, ok? You deserve it."

Ryan watched as she stepped back and walked out. Taylor really had changed in last few years. He hoped she got everything she deserved, everything she wanted out of life. He stepped back out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. The ceremony was in three hours, but there was something he had to do first. He made his way back to the groom's dressing room, grabbed his keys, and left the church.

He arrived to his destination in a little over forty-five minutes, parked the car, and started walking the familiar path. The California sun was beginning to brighten like it always did around this time of day as Ryan continued his walk. He stopped, cutting across the grass and pulling the velvet covered box from his jacket.

Summer Roberts stood patiently waiting, holding a shovel in her newly manicured hand. "Hey, Atwood." She spoke softly as he approached. "Now tell me again, Why didn't you tell Seth?"

Ryan stopped in front of the familiar grave, looking to Summer. He didn't have to respond, his eyes said it all for him. They always had. "You want to see it?"

"Of course." Summer set the shovel down on the grass as Ryan unlocked and opened the box. She pulled her hand out of her own jacket, extracting something but keeping it hidden.

"She'd love it, right?" Ryan offered Summer the box.

Summer's heart jumped when she saw the necklace. "Oh..god..Atwood.." She admired the dainty gold chain, the little diamonds, the beautiful ruby. "Coop would never take this off…" She handed him back the box, wiping a tear from her cheek. "There's something I…uh…found…"

Taking the back the box, Ryan locked it and then looked up. "From Marissa?"

Summer nodded, handing him a sealed envelope. It looked old. "I don't know when she wrote it, or anything… but it was definitely meant for you."

Ryan took it without a word.

Summer laid her hand on his arm affectionately. "I'll go on back to the church. Keep everyone busy till you get back." She didn't wait for a response, just walked off, the hem of her blue bride's maid dress getting wet from the grass.

Ryan set the box and the envelope on the grass and picked up the shovel. He spent the next hour digging a small, very deep hole into the earth over Marissa's grave. Satisfied it was deep enough, he set the box in the bottom and began to cover it with dirt. Tomorrow, the guys would come who were going to lay cement over her grave. He'd spent the last three years petitioning the city for that right, finally getting his wish. He patted the dirt back down so it looked undisturbed. "Happy Valentine's Day, Marissa."

Picking up the discarded shovel and the envelope, he walked back to his car. Silently, he dropped the shovel onto the passanger seat, put the key into the ignition and drove back to the church. Parking the car back in the church parking lot, he tucked the envelope into his jacket and walked back into the church.

"Everything ok?" Summer was standing just inside the door.

Ryan nodded in response. "How much time left?"

Summer turned back to glance at the clock on the wall. "About twenty minutes."

Ryan nodded again, walking down the hall back to the groom's dressing room. He opened the door expecting to be bombarded with questions about his absence. "Seth? Sandy?" The room was deserted. He smiled, crossing the room to sit down in one of the chairs lining the wall by the window. He took the envelope from his jacket and held it in his hands. His name was scrawled across the front in her handwriting. He turned it over and worked on getting the flap lose. It was old so the glue gave way pretty easily. He pulled out a white card, embossed with black writing and a miniature of a painting. The painting was of a guy and girl in the background with two sets of footprints leading to them from the foreground. He stared at the painting a minute. Where were the boy and girl walking? It wasn't a beach, that he was sure of because the ground was dark, not light like sand. Then, reading the words under the picture, he understood. "Love leaves an imprint on the heart like footprints in wet cement. Over time, the impression may fade. But it will never go away completely." He looked toward the bottom of the card to the familiar hand writing. _"Happy Valentine's Day, Ryan. You've left your mark in my heart. Love,Marissa."_

"You ready?" Sandy Cohen stood in the room, his hand on the door knob.

Ryan looked up, tucking the card back into it's envelope. "Yeah." He handed it to his father. "Keep this safe for me till after the ceremony? I don't want to leave it here. Someone could throw it out by accident."

Sandy nodded, accepting the envelope. "Sure."

Later-

"She really loved you, Ryan." Theresa handed back the envelope. "You should stay for the cement covering."

Ryan put his arm around her shoulders. "I already talked to Lindsey. We decided to take a later flight."

"This must be Theresa." Lindsey smiled brightly as she approached her husband and his oldest friend.

Ryan let go of Theresa and pulled his wife into his arms. "Theresa was just telling me I should stay for the cementing tomorrow." He wrapped his arms around her waist, clasping his hands together across her midsection.

Lindsey nodded. "I told him the same thing."

Theresa studied the couple a minute. Something told her that Lindsey didn't know about the belated Valentine's card. She caught Ryan's gaze and read his expression. No. He hadn't told Lindsey about Marissa's card. "Excuse me, I have to go check on my son."

Ryan watched Theresa leave and then turned his attention back to Lindsey. "Here." He pulled back from the embrace and handed her the envelope. "Summer just gave it to me earlier. Found it…didn't say where…"

Lindsey took the envelope and pulled out the card, reading it silently. Finally, she looked up. "You want to leave your footprint in the cement on her grave tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yes." Ryan took the card back after she had slid it back into the envelope.

"I think you should. It's a beautiful sentiment." Lindsey smiled. "She's right, you know. Love really is like footprints in wet cement…"

"I love you, Lindsey Williams-Atwood." Ryan smiled, pulling her to him. She looked breathtaking in her wedding dress, her brown hair falling all around her shoulders, her green eyes shinning with joy and merriment.

The Next Day- Feb. 15

Ryan stood beside Lindsey, holding her hand tightly as they waited to make sure that the cement workers were gone. "See anyone?"

Lindsey checked both directions and shook her head. "Nope. Go ahead."

Ryan stepped into the cement near the left-hand corner of Marissa's grave. "Jumping away now." He waited for her to get behind him and then he jumped up and backward.

"Oommphh!" Lindsey hit the grass on her back, Ryan landing on top of her also on his back. "I think we should have thought this through better… maybe brought a step stool or something you could have just sat on.."

Laughing, Ryan rolled off her, simultaneously standing up and pulling Lindsey to her feet. "And you couldn't have thought about that until after the fact?"

Lindsey shrugged. "I swept up in the Romanticism I guess." She smiled. "You want me to give you some time alone? I know how much she meant to you…. And still means."

"Yeah. I'll meet you back at the car in a couple minutes." Ryan kissed her softly and then watched her walk away. She really was an amazing woman. And she understood him. There was only one other girl who had ever understood him….and he was standing by her grave. But there was just something missing…

He knelt down and looked over the imprint of his shoes. After a minute, he pulled the little key that had come with the necklace and box out of his pants pocket and began to etch something into the wet cement.

Weeks Later-

A young girl walked within the cemetery, holding a single red rose. A recent addition to the surroundings caught her eye as she passed it. There was a cement slab over one of the older graves. And it looked like someone had done some damage to the cement before it dried. She walked over for a closer look and felt tears come to her eyes. It wasn't vandalism, it was something else. Something meaningful and beautiful. She read the words aloud. "Love leaves an imprint on the heart like footprints in wet cement. Over time, the impression may fade. But it will never go away completely." Down at the bottom of the slab was a pair of footprints and a name- Ryan.


End file.
